Maine Symbols, State Bird & State Flower

Adopted on April 6, 1927.

Maine's State Federation of Women's Clubs campaigned for the black-capped chickadee.

The Blacked-capped Chickadee is a common sight in the woods and at backyard bird feeders throughout the state. The brownish-black bill is short, straight and rounded. The Chickadee's glossy head is large with a short neck and dark brown eyes. Its body is thick. The feathers are blended and short. The tail is long, arched, and rounded, with twelve slender feathers. Feet and claws are greyish-blue. The whole upper part of the head and the hind neck is pure black, as is a large patch on the throat and fore-neck. The Chickadee is approximately 5 inches in length.

Black-capped Chickadees eat a variety of foods including insect eggs, ants, beetles, aphids, millipedes, snails, and other small creatures. They also eat seeds of conifers, goldenrod, ragweed, and wild fruit. Black-capped Chickadees are not very picky at the feeder and will eat cornmeal, sunflower seeds, suet, pumpkin seeds, and peanut butter.

Black-capped Chickadees prefer to live in mixed hardwood-coniferous forests. They also reside in small woodlands and shrubs by residential areas.

Both the male and female have similar plumage. Black-capped Chickadees have light gray backs and tails. They also have white bellies and cheeks. They got the name "Black-capped Chickadee" because they have some black feathers on their heads that look like a cap. Black-capped Chickadees also have some black feathers on their necks that look similar to a bib. In the winter, their sides are a deep brown.

Black-capped Chickadees survive the freezing weather by storing food they can use later in the season. Black-capped Chickadees can remember where they stored seeds for up to eight months, which is more than enough time to get them through the winter.

Black-capped Chickadees also survive the winter by lowering their body temperatures at night, entering a state of controlled hypothermia. In essence, they slow the blood flowing to the parts of their bodies they don't use while they are sleeping. This helps them save much-needed energy.

Identification

• Length: 4.5 inches
• Short bill
• Black crown and throat
• White face
• Pale gray upperparts
• White edges to wing coverts
• Grayish-white underparts
• Rusty flanks
• Sexes similar
• Often found in small flocks

Adopted on February 1, 1895.

Maine designated the white pine cone and tassel as its state flower. For the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, States were asked to choose floral emblems. Three candidates were chosen. Two, the goldenrod and apple blossom, were genuine flowers. The third was the pine cone and tassel. The pine cone won 10,000 of 17,000 votes. It was adopted as Maine's state flower on February 1, 1895.

Botanically, these are not considered flowers since gymnosperms do not have true flowers. The reproductive structures of pines are known as strobili. You could accurately state the Maine is the only state to have an official state strobilae.

The White pine is considered to be the largest conifer in the northeastern United States. Leaves (needles) are soft, flexible and bluish-green to silver green in color and are regularly arranged in bundles of five. Needles are 2 1/2-5 inches long and are usually shed at the end of the second growing season. Flowers (strobili) occur on the tree. Cones are 4-8 inches in length, usually slightly curved. They take 2 years to mature and open to discharge the seed shortly after ripening in late August through September of the second season. Cone scales are thin and never have prickles. Each scale usually bears two winged seeds as do all native pines. Cones also have a fragrant gummy resin.

More Tree Facts

• Bark darkening and thickening as tree ages, smooth and gray on young growth, becoming gray-brown, deeply furrowed with broad ridges of irregularly rectangular, purple-tinged scaly plates.
• Branches whorled, few and spreading, with slightly upturned tips. In closed stands, trunks are free of branches over 2/3 of their length.
• Twigs slender, flexible, pale red-brown, with rusty hairs when young; aging gray and smooth.
• Needles P. strobus has slender needles in clusters of 5 that grow up to 12 cm long. The outer surface of the needles is gray-green, and the inner surface is gray-white. Evergreen.
• Buds heavily resinous and sticky, aromatic.
• Cones slender and thornless, 3"-10" long and tapering; each scale usually bears two winged seeds as do all native pines.
• Roots widespreading and moderately deep, without a distinct taproot
• Ages exceeding 400 years are possible; commonly reaches 200 years of age and may exceed 450.
• Height of mature trees in nature 80'-110'; largest eastern conifer.
• Spread: 20'-40'